THE OAMARU HORROR

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1989, 22 October 1886, Page 3

THE OAMARU HORROR

An inquest was held at Oamarnop 'he ,A of ?he child,sex unknown, found in a Jden near the North Town Boundary. fL following evidence was given . Abbott, nid .be kf.» .» ° ra n »med Agnes Sergeson. Wit* thought she was a charwoman. She o il,. Neii street when vu ness Brst Mrs tStrg bouse about a week <r Tin bo " f h“d beto d.li* before-he left, lnv y Witness eate, but was get in Qn k ° Tuesday N ext day Mrs Sergeson •jKSottbob.by W;to«...k«d . „ .1,,, babv was, and Mi* nergisuu ’Sned .hat it had gone-the woman i iMohed it. Mrs Sergeson told witbad fetuieu . , that she the person who wa. going to satisfied that she had done her duty >y 2Slid, and that the neighbors were mortem examination of tb. J»»®» tblld. Tb. >««■?■ fairly-nouriahed lntant, ana ESaKsgSS SsE“:s£f|« = part of the anterior wall of the ■Women with the sexual organs were removed. The lungs appeared healthy, P le heart healthy, but empty. It be imnoasible to tell whether the child died sXbi„».. •*.«*“ r»w latcd previous to death. VO uth of not be determined owing to the youth ot the child. _ The nelvio organs had been rernoveTfor the purpose of prcvenU BX l , hujbeAbbottf daughter of Mrs Abbott, SI;S S Sergeson, addressed to Mrs ISIS Smith, Meadowbank, Fast Taieri. The letter stated that she bad had a little girl on the 18th, and that it would be as good tempered as tho liU e boy, but Mrs Sergeson said that shodid not care about letting her bave it. Witnt;j3 did not know whether the letter had **•? said Mrs Sergeson lived in Nen street next to witness’ house. Mrs Sergeson ■aid her husband was dead and that he had been a sailor, She told witness that previous to coming here she kept house for a man and hi* two bods at Blueukin or Outram, witness could not recollect which. She appeared to be hard up. Mrs Sergeson remained in ® ara ® after the birth of the child about four weeks. The child appeared to be a healthy child. . , , Arthur Toms said on the 16th orl7th of September he saw two women in North Hired. One of them stopped him, and asked hun if lie had a house to let and lie replied that he had. and the rent would be 3s per week. The house was let to h»r The woman borrowed a tomahawk from him oil the Tuesday or Wednesday after going into the Uousft for the purpose, phe said, of cutting wood, bhe also b Wired a spade the same day. bhe mentioned wlmt she wanted the spade for. About five.or si* in the morn g previous to that on which she borrowed the tomahawk witness saw her coming from a small house at tfte rear ♦ cottage, and she appeared start.ecl and frightened. Witness saw the woman again on the 25th, when she gave him .is for a week’s rent.- saying she was going to Dunedin by the steamer that day, as she could not make ft living in Oan.nru. detective OHirien culled aji his place on Tuesday morning, and witDess pom e out Where two holes had been made, one in the fowl-house and another m a i° low. Shortly after Detective O Bnen called him, and on going to t h f H e witness saw tho trunk of the child and three portions of a leg-. . Inspector Thompson said the pol ce had no reason to doubt that what they had been tolh by the vyoman in Dunedin, Where she had Leon IfullbvVed, was correct ill inquiries were made. When her statements had been proyed. to he untrue, the garden was search, d, Tl e inquiry was then adjourned tilltne 27th, in order to allow of further evidence being produced. —North Otago Times.